Official: CNN’s Anderson Cooper is Gay

By Iain Alexander / 2 July 2012

Anderson Cooper tells it like it is

Anderson Cooper has publicly announced online that he is gay and is not ashamed to be.

Anderson, one of the nation’s most high profile news anchors allowed an in-depth email about his sexual orientation to be published by Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Beast. They have reportedly been friends for more than two decades.

Sullivan had asked Cooper to share his views about people who were coming out of the closet for being gay. The Daily Beast published Cooper’s email response, where he highlights bullying and intimidation as a problem in American society and that there are far too many instances of discrimination.

Sullivan had read a news article on Entertainment Weekly that looked at how gay people were becoming more comfortable with being open about their sexuality. From this subject, Sullivan wanted to get the anchor’s opinion, in which he went a step further to reveal his own truth, publicly.

The Bigger picture : Opinion

Anderson Cooper is part of the fabric of news reporting. He’s a national figure and in a way, a spokesman for what is going on in the world. Cooper has a big influence, and this revelation will further strengthen the gay community, and allow people to feel comfortable expressing that fact. It is no secret that this topic will also affect the next Presidential election. Will gay marriage rights become a leading issue for Americans?